Forgotten Chapters
by Maiorem
Summary: A prelude to the events in my main story, which will be published sometime next month if things go smoothly.
1. Chapter: Negative One

**Chapter -1**

There was once a sweet maiden who took to plucking wild flowers in the fields. She was at the age of marriage, and at the prime of her youth. Her skin was as fair as the lilies of the valley, her hair as yellow and fragrant as freesia. Most of all, her eyes are like ambrosia – both as green as the plant and as enchanting as the food of the gods.

On a particular summer, the sky was illuminated a light shade of yellow by the midday sun as the birds take flight toward the heavens. The young girl went out to pluck wild flowers as usual even though her mother had warned her earlier the morning not to leave the house, and she knew the reason why; the day was the climax of the First War between the Man and the Prince of Darkness. The war began about a decade ago, and Man was constantly losing until just recently, an unexpected ally turned up, and the tide of the battle had since been turned. This particular day is the last stand.

The young lady spotted some forget-me-nots, which are extremely rare in that region.

_They say that these flowers represent true love _(1)_; I wonder if I shall meet my true love today?_

Suddenly, a loud blast was heard, and billows of smoke appeared not far from the lady's line of sight. She was stirred by the noise, but was not too surprised. When a man came running exhaustively towards her, however, she was in quite a fright; this man was a complete stranger to her, and his peculiar mode of dress distinguishes him from the lower to middle classes.

_An aristocrat! What is he doing here? Oh, and he looks badly hurt too; what shall I do?_

The little girl panicked. She had never encountered anybody other than lower class people, and this person who appeared before her has an impression of nobility about him, especially his frilled long coat, monocle and hair that is slicked back. In his possession are a strange-looking sword and two handguns, which were uncommon during the time. The most peculiar feature of this man is that his hair is silvery. When he reached a few feet from the lady, he collapsed, worn and weary. Upon closer inspection, in his right hand is clenched what seems like a black orb.

_Oh, Lord! What should I do now? This man is really hurt, and I can't leave him here, but mother wouldn't be pleased with me bringing a stranger into the house, not at a time when father is out in battle! Ugh, he has blood on his clothes too! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…_

While she remains staring at the almost lifeless body of the man, he muttered a groan, "Hey, lady, a little help here?"

Without further thinking, she took his hands and started dragging him towards her house, which isn't far.

_At least he's not too heavy._

When they reached the door of the house, the lady's mother rushed out and shouted at her. "Oh, thank heavens you are alright! Where have you… Ah! Who is this! Where did he come from?"

"No time to explain, ma, quickly help me get this man to the barn, and get a doctor!"

"Have you forgotten? The doctor is away helping the soldiers in the war; we shall have to treat this young man as best as we could."

And so the mother and daughter managed to drag the man to the shed, which was just behind their house. They laid him down on stacks of hay, and the mother immediately regarded the bloody stains on him.

"He must be one of the soldiers, although his clothing isn't quite appropriate for warfare, I must say. I'll go prepare some hot water to clean his wounds; you stay and watch over him."

The mother left the building, and now the young lady is all alone with the man. She really did not know what to do now, especially in the presence of a young man.

_Oh, my; alone again with this stranger. He looks terrible; is he even alive?_

She pressed her head close to his chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat.

_Yes, he's alive, thank God. I don't want to be in the same room as a dead man. I think I'd better take his shirt off; they're not good for the wounds, or so I hear in similar cases._

The lady began to undress the young man, conspicuously leaving the bottom half alone.

The man awoke and got up.

"Careful! Your wounds aren't light, and you should stay down in case you get some infection or something!"

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern."

"You may look like you're fine, you may act like you're fine and you may think that you're fine, but you are not fine!"

The young man turned his gaze towards the young lady's countenance, which caused her to blush deeply.

"Listen; I need you to do me a favor: take this," the young man handed her the black orb, which was in his right hand all this while, "and throw it somewhere; anywhere, as long as no one is able to reach it. Don't tell anyone where you have disposed of this thing, not even me. Promise me, carry this out, and I will not harm you."

The young man's left hand was still holding onto the lady's wrist, and she immediately broke free from his clutches but still holding onto the black orb he just handed to her. She didn't know what to say, but only left the building and ran as far as her two legs could take her and threw the orb into a place where no one could ever reach, or so she believed no one could ever get to. When she returned to the barn, however, she found the man completely healed of all his injuries, albeit his clothes were still left on the ground. She was stunned and stood motionless over the sight of this strange scene: from one moment, this man was lying on the haystack full of bruises and bloody wounds; in the next moment, he is standing fine without a single scratch on his flawless skin.

_How did he…get completely healed? I was quite sure that when I found him he was all bloody and he couldn't even move an inch, but now he's standing up looking so perfect, so divine, so…_

"I don't blame you; it's not everyday you can see a guy like me half naked."

When he spoke, his words seem to allure her, but in a moment she snapped out of the trance and turned her gaze away, blushing hard.

"Listen, I've gotta go now; need to take care of some business."

The man proceeded to dress himself up, and prepared himself to step out of the building.

"Wait!"

The man stopped in his tracks.

"What is it now?"

"What is your name?"

"Why would you want to know?"

"Because…I want to see you again!"

That last sentence blurted out without much hesitation, and the girl closed her mouth with her hand almost instantly.

"Heh; I knew you couldn't resist. Before I tell you my name, promise me, don't tell anyone you saw me here, okay? It's for your own safety."

The girl merely nodded her head, not wanting to say something stupid for a second time.

"Sparda."

The man walked out as soon as he finished saying his name. The girl merely stood at the doorway, not knowing what else to do. After the man has gone out of sight, the girl's mother came into the building.

"Where is that man?"

"He…he left…on his own."

"What? How can he, with all those wounds? How could you have let him go like that? Oh, you have just wasted a good opportunity…"

"Mother!"

"But tell me, did he leave you a name?"

"He, err…no, ma. He didn't."

"Well that's too bad."

Later that evening, the girl's father returned from the war. Apparently, the war was a great triumph. The family decided to celebrate by having a nice family meal.

"So, my dear, tell us all about the war."

"Well there isn't really much to say anyway; most of the men were cowards when it came to serious business, and I would say that most of the war was won by one very distinguished individual, who single-handedly defeated literally millions of hordes and the Prince of Darkness himself! You should have seen how he blinded one of the opposing generals, Beowulf, into retreat! Funny thing is I hear from lots of people that this person isn't exactly human. Though it's hard to believe, they say he is a demon, which would explain his amazing skill and abilities."

"Did you get to meet him, dear? After all, our daughter is in dire need of someone to marry."

"Mother!"

"Oh, I didn't get to meet him. Right after the final stand against the Prince of Darkness, he mysteriously vanished. No one has seen him since."

"Daddy, what is his name?" asked the maiden.

This question surprised everyone, especially the young lady herself.

"Well, he did give his name as 'Sparda'."

* * *

(Notes)

(1) - Hanakotoba

FanFiction does not allow asterisks in the main content.


	2. Chapter: Zero

**Chapter 0**

The maiden could not sleep that night. Her thoughts centered themselves on the strange individual known to her as "Sparda", the savior of humankind in the war with the Prince of Darkness. She shifted about in her bed, but as she peered through the window, she saw a figure standing on a hill, lit by the moon. Her eyes opened wide in wonder.

_Is that him? What's he doing on that hill in the middle of the night? Is he really a demon? Wait, why do I keep thinking about him?_

She got up out of her bed, and crept silently out of the house. She headed straight towards the hill, but stopped at a distance so that she would not attract his attention and so that she could observe him silently.

From a distance under the moonlight, Sparda appeared like a wingless angel, with alluring charm and seductive beauty. He gazed at the moon in complacent thinking, his thoughts only to himself.

The girl wished to have a closer look, so she crept forward a few feet more, but she stepped on a twig, which snapped and alerted Sparda to her presence. The girl immediately froze and panicked, but it was too late; Sparda had already spied her.

"Oh, it's only you. What are you doing here?"

"I…I'm about to ask you the same thing…S…Sparda…"

"Oh, you remembered. Come closer; I don't bite. You can get a wonderful sight of the full moon from my perspective."

The lady slowly took a few steps, and the next instant she found herself right beside the hero of mankind. She couldn't believe how close she got to him, and when she glanced at his face in admiration, she blushed so hard the night sky could not conceal her blush. When she felt herself go red in the face, she immediately turned away and looked towards the ground.

"Err…what are you thinking about?"

Sparda was taken by surprise. All his life, no one took interest in his private thoughts before. He hesitated for a moment, and then he answered.

"I was just thinking…about my Father."

_He has a father? I mean, of course he does! I wonder how his relationship with his father is…_

"I ran away from Home in rebellion against Him. I was foolish at the time and now I really regret what I did."

"Well, why don't you go back? I'm sure your father would accept you since you're his son."

"You don't understand. I can never go back, not after all I've done."

"You've done a lot already! You saved us all from the Prince of Darkness, or so I've heard! How is that not enough?"

Sparda turned and put his two hands on her shoulders, and looked straight in her eyes.

"Can good deeds ever wash away the sins we have done? No matter how much good I do, they're only like ornaments on a disfigured statue. Even as I turn back, is He going to forgive me for what I've done?"

"I…I do not know what to say…"

The two remained in that position for a whole minute, before dark clouds covered the moon and the place had darkened considerably. The night wind blew and rustled the tall grass all around, and out of nowhere, fiendish looking demons appeared and surrounded Sparda and the girl.

"Stand back; these demons may be harmful to your health."

Sparda stood up straight and motioned for the girl to stay where she was. The girl complied and nodded her head. When Sparda was satisfied she obeyed, he started glowing red. The girl did not notice the glow initially, but at the moment she saw it, a bright light had flashed from within Sparda's body, blinding her for a moment. When she opened her eyes, she did not see the Sparda she recognized. Instead, she saw a great demon, in full armor and six leathery wings. Around them, the demons are no more; in their place are red orbs, which the great demon which stood before her is absorbing. She fell to the ground, her knees weak from fright. The great demon noticed her fear, and faced her. It then transformed, this time back to the human form of Sparda.

"You should go back now; it isn't safe anymore to be around me."

The girl ran as fast as her two legs could carry her; she ran straight to her room and locked herself in it.

_He **is**__ a demon; I already knew, so why was I so afraid when he became so…different? Oh, God, what am I to do?_

Since the next morning, though, she never saw Sparda again. Yet it is in her heart's desire that she should see him at least once more, but the closest she could get is a silhouette of Sparda in his human form under the light of the full moon; whenever she dashed out of her house, he disappeared. It took a few more years before she decided to marry a childhood friend of hers, which pleased her parents greatly. On the day of her wedding, however, she felt that she is being watched from the balcony of the chapel, and when she glanced she thought she saw a familiar figure. Yet when she turned her head the figure was no longer there.

A few years had passed, and she had borne her husband a daughter. Every night, she would relate to her daughter the story of the Dark Knight, who saved humankind, and how she met him. One day, however, the daughter returned and exclaimed excitedly, "Mother, mother! I have seen him! I've seen Sparda!" The woman became excited. She asked her daughter where, and so her daughter took her to the hilltop where she had herself met the Dark Knight years ago. To the disappointment of both, however, he was no longer there. "But I saw him! I really did, just as you have described, mother!" The woman believes her daughter.

One day, the woman got very sick, and was bedridden. She lay looking out the window, hoping to see Sparda once more. In the night, Sparda did appear to her, just outside the window. A look of anxiety is on his face.

"Sparda…I'm dying soon…"

Sparda kept silent, accepting the grim fact.

"You look…just like you were…25 years ago…"

"And you become more beautiful each passing year."

"Ah, after these years, I finally get to hear your voice again…I do not know what more to ask, except…that you keep watch over my daughter, and her family, and her family's family, and…"

"Yeah, sure; I would."

"Thank you…I can now go in peace…"

The woman stopped breathing. Sparda closed his eyes, tears falling softly down his cheeks.

"Yes, go back to my Father's house…"

And thus, the Dark Knight had kept watch over the family and descendants of the woman, never ceasing, for at least 2 millennia.

* * *

I leave it to the reader's interpretation who Sparda's "Father" is, and where his "Home" is.


	3. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Close to 2 millennia have passed; through the years, the Dark Knight has kept his word, protecting and watching over the descendants of the first human he had ever truly loved. Every generation would pass on the tale of the Dark Knight, who over time would acquire "Legendary" status, and every generation would meet the Dark Knight himself at certain points in their lives, but only once, to confirm the story of their mothers that there is a "guardian angel" keeping watch over them.

This "tradition" continued up to the latest and the last; Eva, the 80th descendant. Like the ones before her, she heard the story from her mother, and like the ones before her, she looked forward to meeting with the Dark Knight.

Once, while she was walking through the woods looking for wild berries, she chanced upon Sparda in his human form, not recognizing him. Sparda was sitting under a tree by a lake, observing the wonders of nature. She ignored him at first, but could not help thinking about him from time to time. She went along her way, and found some exotic-looking berries in some low bushes. As she bent down to pick them, however, an overhanging vine crept slowly towards her and opened to reveal rows of teeth. Just as it was about to strike, however, Sparda jumped into the scene mid-air and used Aerial Rave with Yamato, disposing of the vine demon. Eva was obviously surprised by this sudden intrusion. A few more vines came snaking towards Eva and Sparda, but he simply uses Judgment Cut to take down the vines while still afar.

"Go," commanded Sparda. Eva however wasn't afraid; instead, she used hand-to-hand combat and destroyed some of the attacking vines.

"You're not the only one here who could fight."

"Well let's hope your children won't be as violent as you."

The two continued fighting their way out of the forest, but right at the exit the vines combined to form a huge anthropomorphic monster to block the way out.

"Hey, lady, you'll need one of these," said Sparda, tossing to Eva Ombre while brandishing Luce. Eva took a look at Ombre and remarked, "Not my style, but I like it."

"Let's do this!" exclaimed the both of them together.


End file.
